Wrist-pad.



W. R. BALLOU.

WRIST PAD.

21110111011 nun MAY 13, 1910.

986,620. Patented Mar.14,19 11.

7 1m: NuR'Rls PETERS CO, wash/moron, o. C

"nirrr earns ATE r rren WILLIAM R. BALLO'U, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD 'IO JAMES N. RICE, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

WRIST-PAD.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. BALLOU, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dorchester, Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in lVrist-Pads,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wrist pads or supporters andhas for its object the provision of a device of that kind including asupporting plate or disk adapted to be detachably secured to the wristof a person and provided with a spherical bearing member designed toengage with the surface of a desk or table so that the wrist upon whichthe device is secured will be supported during the operation of writingand the friction which usually exists between the wrist and surface ofthe writing table or desk will be reduced to a minimum, thus permittingthe forearm of the operator to be moved with comparative ease.

\Vith these and other objects in view, which will more fully hereinafterappear, the present invention consists in certain novel details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointedout in the appended claim, it being understood that various changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details of the device may be made,within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification;Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device showing its application tothe human wrist. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device.Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout.

The device comprises a substantially concavo-convex supporting platepreferably of metal and formed in two sections designated by thenumerals 5 and 6. The sections may be soldered or otherwise suitablysecured together or as shown in Fig. 2, the sections may havecooperating screw threads by Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

Serial No. 561,126.

means of which they are secured together. The section 6 is aconcavo-convex plate of a diameter corresponding to the long diameter ofthe human wrist having its peripheral portion provided with ascrew-threaded flange 7. The section 5 is a structure similar to thesection 6, that is it is concavo-convex and is peripherally providedwith a screw-thread to engage with the screwthreaded flange 7 of thesection 6, it being understood when the sections are assembled that theconvex surface of the section 5 will be presented toward the eoncavedsurface of the section 6, whereby a space will be provided between thehighest points or the central portions of said sections. The section 5or that having its concaved side presented outwardly will subsequentlybe termed the upper section inasmuch as it will always be in engagementwith the wrist of the user, while the opposite section 6 willsubsequently be termed the lower section.

Formed in the central portion of the lower section 6 is a circularopening and located on the inner or convex surface of the section 6 andsurrounding the said opening is an annulus, the inner surface of whichis grooved to provide a race for a suitable number of bearing balls 8.Arranged in the central opening of the lower section 6 is a sphericalmember 9 a trifle greater in diameter than the diameter of the saidopening so that a segment will be exposed through the opening andproject in advance of the convex surface-of the lower section. It willbe seen, when the bearing balls are arranged in the race that thediameter of the opening thus presented will be somewhat less than thediameter of the member 9 so that the said bearing balls will bear on aportion of the surface of the member 9, thus providing a smooth bearingsurface for the latter.

The securing strip is designated by the numeral 10 and may be of elasticwebbing or the like and has its opposite terminals secured at thesection 5 and at diametrically opposite points and is designed to clampthe wrist of the operator to the supporting plate.

It will be evident when the device is positioned as shown in Fig. 1 andhe member 9 brought to bear on a table or other surface that theoperation of writing may be performed in an easy and expeditious mannerwith little or no strain on the wrist of the operator.

From the'foregoing, it'is evident that I have provlded a device whichiscoinparatively simple inf structure and inexpensive in manufactureembodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangementwill be reduced to a minimum:

' I claimz will be presented toward the concaved sur- 7 face of theopposite section, one of said sections bein centrally provided With'anopeningj'and urther provided with a plurality of bearing ballssurroundingsaid openin and a spherical bearing member having a segmentexposed through said opening and bearing on said bearing balls.

in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. BALLOU.

WVitnesses: V

C. F. BROWN,

\ JAMEsN. RICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' 7 Washington, D. 0.?

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 20

